Silent Murmurs
by BlanketNinja
Summary: It was as if I watched you climb up the mountain only to see you stumble and fall back down. One-shot. Contains some RinxLen. Rated T to be safe.


**Contains _some_ RinxLen  
**

**Note: Rin and Len are about 14; Miku is 16 and others are around their twenties.**

**Enjoy! (I hope...)**

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**Silent Murmurs**

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You said that the ribbon you constantly wore signify something that delves deeper than 'cuteness'

The white fluffy ribbon that defies gravity would always be atop your head and bounce corresponding to your emotions. The white mass would droop when you turn sad and straight up during your happy rambles of a recent dream you had the night before.

Is that why you asked why I wore mine in a ponytail? Your aquamarine eyes shown confusion and curiosity at my tied spiky blonde hair. I merely chuckled at your question and never answered while you pouted. You quickly snapped out of it though and decided it was the best time to punch me.

Did I say that your punches could rival a grown man's strikes? Unfortunately, I did and you found it convenient to tackle me instead.

With your head rested on the crook of my neck, I could smell the orange fragrance from your blonde locks. Oranges. Your favourite fruit. You'd devour them in seconds before peeling another one. But who am I to say this when I do the same with bananas? Our strange addiction to these fruits always gathered gazes but we'd just laugh and say that it's not as weird as Miku-nee's strange obsession with leeks.

It fascinates me how we look so much alike and many people have mistaken us for twins. From our blonde hair to our eyes that could eerily make it seem like we're looking into a mirror. But with my hands wrapped around you, I knew that you are real and I the same.

You finally decided to let go of me and reluctantly stood up. Why? Are you tired? I would gladly stay down if you wish to rest some more. Or I could carry you up to your room! A faint red tint appeared on your face and you madly shook your head. Your ribbon looked crumpled and you murmured a 'See you later, Len' before making soft thuds on the way to your room, I presumed.

_Rin... ?_

* * *

Your bow is drooping today. Did something bad happen? Or did you run out of oranges? I expected the latter but when I saw your eyes without its usual shine, it was obvious that something happened. I rushed towards you and did what we always do to comfort the other.

I hugged you.

Either what happened was really serious or you didn't notice, you didn't respond to my presence. I furrowed my eyebrows in worry and thought of what made you this way. After a few moments passed, you finally tilted your head to look at me and I flinched at your lifeless gaze. You sighed and stepped away from me. It may have not shown but it did hurt me a little inside that you rejected my comfort. My arms slowly drooped down and I only stared at you with what I hope was a neutral expression. You noticed my uncharacteristic movement and attempted to make a weak smile. Your attempts were unnecessary as your white bow still stayed the same and looked like it was wilting.

_It seems you never realized that your bow gives away your true feelings_.

Silence reigned and your weak smile faltered. Your eyes turned darker and I could swear that it was as if you had no soul. You knew that it was of no use trying to convince me that you're fine when you're clearly not. You settled for a slight frown and murmured an 'I'm sorry' before walking away from me.

* * *

You stopped coming out of your room and only went out to go to the bathroom or eat for the day. Then it turned to going out once or twice.

This continued for days and it bothered me greatly. It also affected the others' moods as well. Miku-nee tried to coax you out into telling us what made you this way but you only remained aloof and ignored her feeble attempts. Kaito-nii brought out his largest bucket of ice cream to share with you but you also ignored him. Even Meiko-nee stopped drinking to join us in getting you to answer.

Your once healthy skin started getting paler and your features looked like one of a ghost. You looked sickly and you even stopped eating your favourite fruit. Your bow always drooped down. The others called Luke-nee and Gakupo-nii to help us with this problem and even then their efforts were to no avail.

Rin... Can't you understand that everyone is worried about you?

I would get glimpses of your face every now and then and I know that you're slowly killing yourself by keeping this up. I noticed that you also stopped wearing your ribbon which you adored so much and can never seem to remove it. Now, you don't seem like the real Rin anymore. You turned into an empty soul.

What happened? I feel helpless not being able to help you. You're now distant to me – to everyone. We want to help but you keep pushing us away. When will you open up? Questions keep piling up about your welfare and I'll be damned if it turned serious!

_Sigh..._

If you wish to continue this then so be it.

I'll continue watching but once I see you fall then shall I take action.

* * *

I just realized something...

Your first started as someone shy but gradually gained friends during your life. I was your very first friend. During these years with you, I was able to see how you grew. You grew into an independent girl, Rin. You managed to create your prese- no, former personality of being headstrong and quick-tempered that was the total opposite of how you started. Now... You're just like a broken shell...

It was as if I watched you climb up the mountain only to see you stumble and fall back down.

...

If that is the case, then it must be my job to find out why.

* * *

I finally managed to convince you out of your room by dragging you out. You struggled and landed kicks and punches on me but I refused to let go. Your cries alerted the others and they rushed to us. They stopped a few feet away and I could see worry plastered onto their faces while looking at my battered form handling a thrashing you.

You stopped after noticing my grip loosening and widened your eyes a bit. Was it that bad...?

You calmed down and we all went in the living room. You timidly sat down on our couch and I followed suit. The others piled in and occupied the rest of the other sofas.

No one spoke for a while but Miku-nee broke the tension first and chose her words carefully asking you when this happened. You remained quiet for quite a while but opened your mouth to answer. You said it happened the day after you asked me about my ponytail. My eyes widened and I couldn't help but wonder how that could be possible when I swore you returned to your room upstairs?

You sensed my internal distress and turned to me. You said that you never went to your room but visited the local orphanage for kids with special needs or disabilities. I relaxed a bit and asked why you went there. You tensed a bit before returning to a relaxed posture and answered that you befriended a blind kid named Yuki. Everyone grew curious as they never knew that you visited the orphanage at all. Kaito-nii took this chance to ask how you met this 'Yuki' person. You answered a few years ago before you started wearing the white ribbon at the age of twelve. It was Meiko-nee that asked this time to confirm whether or not this 'Yuki' gave you your prized possession.

I could see from my peripheral vision that you started shaking a bit and tears threatened to appear. You reached for your head to grab the ribbon but realized it wasn't there. Your sudden panic startled everyone, even I, in the room and we watched you run up the stairs to get it. We could hear shuffle noises and loud thumps from above and I decided to volunteer myself to go up. The others agreed and I found myself in front of your opened door only to see the disaster you created trying to find the ribbon. Papers were strewn about, books and plushies all knocked on the ground, and the bed made it seem like a hurricane passed through this very room.

You finally found it and I saw a small smile grace your lips before you turned around and froze, seeing me. I carefully made my way through the mess after closing the door and kneeled down in front of you. You backed up a bit but only hit your dresser which was messily closed and clothes poked out. I knew that you didn't want to answer the dreaded question that we all craved for during your breakdown and I decided that asking right now would be best.

I took a deep breath and asked,

'_What caused you to break?'_

In a swift motion, I found myself being hugged by you and your arms tightly around my neck. Your tears cascaded down and I wrapped my arms around you. Your shaking body molded into my firm build and I patiently waited for you to finish your crying. Your crying turned to sniffles and you stuttered out your answer.

You described me who she was first though, brown hair tied in two ponytails like Miku-nee and wore a white and red school uniform. You told me that she was blind from the beginning and never had the chance to see the world even as a baby.

You gritted your teeth after saying this and held onto the ribbon tightly as if it was your lifeline as you relive your memories and continue grieving while still hugging me.

You said that you sneaked Yuki out after leaving the house. It was the girl's first time to go outside in the real world, you added tearfully. You thought nothing would go wrong and happily followed Yuki who was bouncing up and down hearing new sounds that she was unfamiliar with. You said you looked away for a minute to admire the flowers but the next thing that happened was a loud car honk brought her attention to Yuki who was obliviously walking across the street and stopped to hear the source of the unfamiliar sound all the while still wearing a huge grin.

You told me that you froze in horror and couldn't even speak as the car crashed her and blood splattered all over the pavement. You screamed that it was your fault and that it could've been prevented it if she had kept a close eye on her and never strayed away. 'She died on the spot and saw it with my own eyes', you wailed. I could do nothing but tightened my grip on you to bring comfort, to show that I am listening.

For the rest of the time, you poured out your emotions and grief while I just held you and quietly murmured soothing words.

* * *

You managed to return back to your old self after a few days but traces of regret and guilt still lingered in you. You started wearing your ribbon again and I feel glad that you at least returned to your tomboyish self. We decided to always go to Yuki's grave every month and bring apples as those were her favourite fruit. Your ribbon bobbed up and down as we walked and would immediately droop at the sight of Yuki's grave.

After your breakdown fiasco, you confessed to me during your happy moods and your ribbon pointed upwards but tilted slightly during your confession due to one of your rare shy moments. I happily returned your feelings and we've been together for a month now. But it still hurts me inside knowing that Yuki's death will still weigh you down. I vowed to protect you and would do everything in my ability to help you move on and face obstacles.

But this time...

We'll climb the mountain _together_.

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**Hi... ? This is more of a practice thing but I decided to post it here since I finished it and all.**

**(Hooray for the abuse of 'you'!~ -insert evil laugh here- )**

**And I'm gonna randomly appear from time to time with random one-shots until I get better and hope that this will be the last time I try this style... **

**I think I failed and made it fast-paced orz  
**


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